“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.” – Luke 2:9
This is a familiar part of a familiar story but how often do we stop to just contemplate this part of it? The glory of the Lord shone around them and it was overwhelming and terrifying! They were filled with great fear! The glory of the Lord is the radiant outshining of God’s divine nature and character. Ever since mankind fell into sin, God’s glory has always been overwhelming to human beings because of our sinfulness.
Try to imagine that night in the shepherd’s field. Try to imagine how beautiful, extraordinary, and overwhelming it must have been! To be flooded by pure, holy light with no hint of shadow or darkness. To be surrounded by the radiating reality of all of God’s infinite and glorious attributes – His goodness, mercy, grace, power, patience, knowledge, wisdom, eternality, sinlessness, justice, kindness, love, faithfulness, and on and on…
To stand in the glory of the Lord is to be profoundly aware of how infinitely greater God is than even the best human being. It is to be aware of how much above and beyond us are His thoughts and His ways and yet to be acutely aware of His presence in the moment. It is to understand how truly small and limited we are in comparison to the One Who spoke the universe into existence. To stand in the light of God’s glory instantly makes one aware of the awful darkness in ourselves and the foolish and sinful ways we’ve rebelled against God’s authority. All we can do in that moment is be terrified for our unholiness and rebellion and shattered and repentant for our sin.
Here’s the thing… All of these things about God and about ourselves is completely true when we aren’t standing stunned and overwhelmed in the glory of the Lord like the shepherds. The glory of the Lord simply makes the truth really, really obvious. But you can live in light of that truth every day and be changed by it. Take time to think about God’s glory even when you can’t see it. Think about what it reveals about God and about yourself. Then act on that despite NOT seeing the light of the glory of the Lord. Respond with worship, praise, confession, repentance, awe, love, and obedience. Today and every day. #FollowJesus